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It is obvious that television has both advantages and disadvantages. In the first place, television is not only a convenient source of pleasure, but also a quite cheap one. For a family of four, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home, with so many interesting programs available, than to go out for something else. There is no transport to arrange. They do not have to pay for expensive seats at the theatre, or the like, only to discover, perhaps, that the show is disappointing. All they have to do is to turn a knob, and they can see plays and shows of every kind, not to mention the latest current events. Some people, however, maintain that this is just where the danger lies. Those who watch television need do noting. They are completely passive and have everything presented to them without any effort on their part.
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14[阅读题]
Robert Spring, a 19th century forger (伪造文件者), was so good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he became rich by selling his small but genuine collection of early U.S. autographs（签字）. Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To lessen the chance of detection, he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale and circulation.
Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can’t approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don’t have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.
In Spring’s time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny’s financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts（手稿）belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals.
1. Why did Spring sell his false autographs in England and Canada?
A) There was a greater demand there than in America.
B) There was less chance of being detected there.
C) Britain was Spring’s birthplace.
D) The prices were higher in England and Canada.
2. After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) southern money
B) signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin
C) southern manuscripts and letters
D) Civil War battle plans
3. Robert Spring spent 15 years _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) running a bookstore in Philadelphia
B) corresponding with Miss Fanny Jackson
C) as a forger
D) as a respectable dealer
4. According to the passage, forgeries are usually sold to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) sharp-eyed experts B) persons who aren’t experts
C) book dealers D) owners of old books
5. Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?
A) The only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson.
B) A little-known girl who sold her father’s papers to Robert Spring.
C) Robert Spring’s daughter.
D) An imaginary person created by Spring.
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正确率：100%
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2021-12-16 22:45:27
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查看答案
正确率：100%
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2021-12-16 22:42:27
